Laundry-handling device



APrll 19, 1927. I E LANE LAUNDRY HANDLING DEVICE Filed Nov. 16, 1925 INVENTOR QM M Wfl f F/ ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

T ED 5 TA T PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN LANE, OF. YORK, N. X1, ASSIG-NOREEO CAROLYN LAUNDRY, OF NEV] YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF YORK.

LAUNDRY-HANDLING- DEVICE.

Application filed November 1 1925,. Serial No. 69,55

This invention relates to laundry handling devices, and in the present instance has particular application toa device whereby a number of garments or other pieces to be laundered may be grouped the device to identify the various articles orv pieces belonging to a particular customer, thereby obviating confusion and loss and individual marking or identification.

Heretofore it has been the practice in laundries, to take a bundle or package of pieces or articles of a particular customer, and .to group or string the same .upon a flexible device such as a chain or rope, by running thechain, for example, through an opening, such ,as a sleeve or the like, of a garment, or by tying flat pieces, such as towels, about the chain and then connecting the looseends of the chain by a safety pin or other fastener so as to ,form a closed loop upon which the articles were hung. At the safety pin .end of the chain it has been the practice to swivel or attach a small tag bearing an identifying character, such as a number, so that the articles or pieces strung upon the chain could be identified as belongingto a certain customer. The articles or pieces so strung upon the closed o p-o end Pa d eug h washing-0 cleaning operation. But there are certain disadvantages incident to this method, and the device employed, for it has been found that under the stress of the washin aeration .there is a tendency of the swivel tag or check or identifying chain to thrash aboutand hammer orbeat agaillSt the fabric being laundered andthereby tearing or cut ting the same.

Furthermore, the identifying tag so used is usually in the form of a simple netal disk havingan identifying character thereon, so that in the sorting. of the laundry, after-the Washing operation, there is a liability of confusion in the handling of the checks or tags, thus resulting in mistakes in the distribution of the laundered pieces of different customers.

To obviate these objections it is my purpose to provide a laundry handling device in the nature of a flexible member such as a chain, wherein the identifying tag, instead of being linked or swivelled at the loose end of the chain with or adjacent to the fastening device, such as a safety pin, is made to form an integral part of the chain, or, in other words, to constitute a link thereof, the tag being located at or forming a link distant from the ends of the chain, or near the center of the latter, or near'the end, but forming a part of the chain.

Furthermore, instead of employing a mere plain flat imperforate disk identified only a number or the like, I formed this disk with anapertureor opening in the nature of a. selected form of key way, so that at the proper time, as in distributing the laundered pieces, a chain bearing a particular form of key Way, may be threaded or fitted on a complementary key bar or rod, thereby insuring against confusion in the assembling of the chains, for it will be apparent that as the operator removes the pieces from the chain, and hangs the latter on the key bar by means of the tag, only such tag as corresponds its key way to a particular key bar, can be threaded on the latter.

For example, if the tag and key bar-each bear an identification character number 102, it will be impossible for the operator to thread a tag 105 on the key bar along with chains bearing tags 102, consequently, there will be no liability afterwards in making the mistake of using a chain of the wrong series in handling a particular custon1c1"s laundry.

My invention consists ,of the improved laundry handling device set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a number of the devices of the same series threaded upon a key bar.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of one Ofthe de vices ready for use. 7

Fig. 3 shows thedevice connected in loop form with the plurality of laundered pieces properly placed thereon for the laundry operations. 7

Referring now to the accompanying draW- ings in detail wherein I have shown my device in the general form of a chain, the numerals 1 and 2 indicate two chain sections having relatively small links, these chain sections being connected at adjacent. ends through the medium of a flat metallic disk or tag 3, which forms in substance an enlarged link perforated approximately in the center of the chain. This tag 3 is pro- \idcd with an identification number i and is also formed with an elongated aperture or opening 5, the walls of which are notched as shown in 6, this notched aperture constituting a key way, so that when not in use the device may be strul'ig or threaded upon a key bar B having ribs or projections as at (5, complementary to or come spending with the apcrtured opening in the tag. One end of the chain is preferably provided with a fastening device T, in the present instance in the form of an ordinary safety pin, so that when the ends of the chain are connected by, for example, fastening the opposite end, 8 of the flexible member or chain in the safety pin, a loop is formed as shown in Fig. 23, for the purpose of retaining the pieces to be laundered shown as U and which are strung thereon.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings the tainstruction and i'nanncr of employing my improved device will be readily understood.

For example, a particuler customer may i send in in one batch of laundry, articles of various kinds, such as towels, shirts. undergarments and the like. The chains when not in use are strung upon the key bar 15 as shown in Fig. 1. If this customer s batch identified as number 102, for example, chains bearing a tag identified by number 102 are removed from a corresponding key bar and threaded through the openings of the sleeves of the shirts, for instance, or articles such as towels may be wrapped and knotted about the chain. The loose ends of the chain are then connected by means of the safety pin to form a loop as shown in Fig. 23. The articles in this shape go through the washing operation, and at the proper time the chain is unhooked and the article stripped therefrom. The chain is then placed back on the key bar ready for futurouse, and as the key way in the tag link of the chain will only lit a particular key bar it will be obvious that the chain cannot be placed upon the wroup key bar which would of course cause confusion in the sorting and identification of future batches if laundry should this misplacement occur.

The use of such a device is also intended to replace the expensive net bags in which it is also customary to wash certain laundry pieces, as with my device. not only are the articles properly secured for identification in washing, but the expense and annoyance and delay used in handling bags is obviated.

While I have herein shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, i wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details of construction herein set forth by way of illus tration, as modification and variation may be made without departing from thc.spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

llhat 1. claim is l. A device adapted to secure a plurality of fabric pieces together for laundering, comprising a flexible metallic member composed of two sections with a tag having a key way formed thereon conecting the two sections and means for fastening the loose ends 'of the sections to form a laundry-holding loop.

.2. A device adapted to secure a plurality of fabric pieces together for laundry, comprising two chain sections, an identifying lag connecting adjacent ends of the two sections and forming a link in the chain, said ca having a key way thereon adapted to lit on a complementary key bar, and means for fastening the free ends of the chain to gether to form a launttry-holding loop.

3. A device adapted to secure a plurality of fabric pieces together for laundry, comprising two chain sections, an identification tag connecting the two chain sections and forn'iing an enlarged link between the same, said tag having a key way opening therein, adapted to lit over a con'iplementary key bar, and a safety pin at one free end of the chain adapted to receive a link at the 0pposite end of the chain to form a laundryholding loop.

ii. A device adapted to secure a plurality of fabric pieces together for laundry, comprising a flexible strand, identifying means having a keyway :t'ormed thereon coneucted to said strand, and means for fastening the loose ends of the strand to form a laundry holding loop.

Sin-nod at New York city in the county of lvew York and State of New York this 1st day of October, A. D. 1925.

EDWVIN LANE.

ion 

